Judge Linda Feinberg reflects on 20 years on the bench

Don’t ask newly retired Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg to reflect on the most important cases in her 20 years on the bench.

Feinberg, who hung up her robe last week, has ruled on landmark cases from same sex marriage to the constitutionality of computer voting machines, but it’s the law, not the case facts that matter to her.

“Some cases have more widespread impact than others but my focus has been to apply the law to the facts,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a dispute over a dress that got ruined in the cleaners or a million dollar land-use dispute, every case is important to someone.”

After spending six years on the municipal court bench, Feinberg was appointed Superior Court judge in 1992. Five years later she was named assignment judge for Mercer County, the second female in the state to hold an assignment judge position.

Over the years Feinberg has presided over timely issues facing the county, including smoking bans and timed growth development.

“My job was not to decide whether something was good public policy but rather whether it was supported by the law,” she said.

Attorney Stephen Goodell, who tried numerous municipal land use cases in her court, said she was always as well versed in the complexities of the cases as the lawyers before her.

“You could count on the fact that she’d read the entire record, reviewed all submissions and exhibits and was well versed in all the arguments in the briefs before the oral arguments even began,” he said. “And she was smart. She was able to grasp all the legal arguments quickly, cut to the heart of the issue and come up with a decision that made sense, even if she ruled against you.”

Feinberg said she hopes she leaves behind a legacy of fairness.

“I hope that the people who walked into my court room feel I gave them the opportunity to present their case and that they were heard with respect and fairness,” she said. “That’s the legacy that anyone on the bench would want.”

Feinberg has plans to return to law in her retirement, perhaps as a legal mediator, but right now it’s not high on her list of things to do in retirement, she said.

For now she’s going to concentrate on spending time with her family and pursuing her hobbies, which include fiction writing, traveling, photographs and rescuing dogs, including the six who share her home and 12-acre property.

“I plan on volunteering with rescue groups,” she said. “I’ve been an animal lover for years. I’d have 30 rescue dogs if I could. I think they all deserve to have the good life.”